SAD-BJP govt flouted rules in allocating sand mines: AAP

Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today alleged that the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab had flouted rules in recently allocating 90 sand mines in the state to their “favourites”.
“Recently the SAD-BJP government auctioned 90 mines, which were awarded to their favourites for next five years till 2021, contrary to the policy, which allows allocation of mines only for three years,” said co-convener of AAP’s RTI Wing Dinesh Chadha.
“As SAD-BJP leaders have already smelled their humiliating defeat in the upcoming assembly elections, thus they violated the mining policy in the greed of continuing their control on the sand mafia even after losing the poll,” he alleged.
Out of the 90 mines, 19 were auctioned in Hoshiarpur, three in Jalandhar, six in Ludhiana, 12 in Mohali, 15 in Pathankot, six in Gurdaspur, two in Moga and four in Patiala district.
Chadha slammed the SAD-BJP leaders for being “busy digging out their gold mine through sand mafia while the people of Punjab are finding it hard to construct their own dwelling unit due to sky-high prices of building material”.
“Once voted to power, AAP would re-investigate all such bungling in Mining Department and illegal allotments of mines would be cancelled and given to the unemployed youth,” he said. PTI